Selected this cruise to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary so special occasion = the Yacht Club experience. I'm so glad I chose the YC as the rest of the ship was just way too big for me. One of the reasons I paid so much for YC was priority embarkation and disembarkation. Unfortunately there was no priority embarkation at Kiel, despite what I'd been told beforehand and it really was organised chaos. Worst part was disembarkation at NY Manhattan terminal when YC staff were told to bring a group of us near the front of the line and then leave us. Getting verbally abused by other -albeit frustrated - passengers as we tried to get off was bad enough; I couldn't believe it when they started to physically push us out of the way and security just ignored it. I still had the bruises on the flight home !! YC was a lovely sanctuary because the ship is HUGE....always something going on. Lots of bars, places to eat and lots to do - night and day. I was disappointed by the food in the YC restaurant with overcooked meats, dishes missing items, etc. Best meal I had was in Butchers Cut - well worth the extra as the steak was delicious. Make sure you go hungry as there's lots included in the price. Service in YC was incredible; the staff there were amazing. Thought it was a bit hit & miss in the rest of the ship though. Despite it being a TA crossing, we had ample port visits either side. Iceland was amazing and somewhere I'm looking forward to visiting again. Sailing into NYC was pretty cool too and coming back to the ship after a day and night out was great because you really couldn't miss the MSC Meraviglia once you got close to the Manhattan waterline. We didn't go to the shows - the only one we booked (Cirque du Soleil) was cancelled quite a few times, we were told it was due to the rough sailing so that's understandable I guess. Would I sail on her again? Probably not - she's lovely and clean but just too big for me. Read Less

embarking was quick and easy. once we were on the ship at 3.30pm we were advised that the ship would be leaving that night instead of the original plan of the next evening due to weather which meant we missed the port of Bergen as it was too late to do anything that day. Big seas means we also missed Shetland Islands and Faroe Islands. instead we made for Iceland and had 2 make up ports of Akureyri and Isafjordur. both tiny stops. We then had to forgo Nanortalik due to 'weather'. When we got to Dagueanay.....well it isn't it was the port town of La Baie, 20 kms from the main city. No shuttles were pour on. We had to find a local bus or taxi of we es bed to go into the city. We reached Quebec, the best port of all and we had to be back on board by 3.30? surely we could have stayed longer given the fact how much we had missed out on previously? into Montreal at 4am? that to me says we definitely could have had longer in Quebec. The included tours were ok. Need more for active people. Not everyone is over 75. The entertainment was average. The singer's were ok but only did 3 showed in 2 weeks. The magician was awesome. bring on more odd this stuff. Comedians etc Classical pianist? yuck. start catering for the 50 year olds. We are your future cruisers. The cabins are nice and clean but not enough storage in deluxe verandah. put more shelving in instead of so much hanging space. had to leave most of our stuff in our suitcase which was frustrating. Noise in the cabin is totally unacceptable. rattling and banging in the walls, creaking like we were on an old Spanish Galleon or on the first fleet to Australia. that is no exaggeration. I still couldn't sleep with earplugs and a pillow over my head. Who wants to be sleep deprived their whole holiday? It was brought to Guest Services attention the 2nd day and their response was" its the weather" not good enough. Even when the seas were calm it was the same. Everyone we spoke to said the same thing, their cabins creaked and rattled also. Italian ship builders obviously can't get that right. Staff were friendly enough but ask for anything out of the ordinary and it's like the biggest deal. Ask for small portion, can't do it. Ask for 2 scoops of icecream, can't be done. Communication was terrible. We never knew when the ship was getting into port or leaving until the night before. couldn't plan anything. when in Reykjavik we dashed back to the ship between ships tours to grab lunch and check the Tax refund process to be told the ship want leaving until 8pm so we would have plenty of time. We got back from our second tour to hear that the ship was leaving at 6 and no time for any last minute shopping at the terminal shops and that the VAT guy was leaving. Asked for assistance again from Guest Services to see if anyone could help us with a Garmin charger for our watches as ours had been left on the previous viking cruise we had gotten off to get on this cruise. never heard from them again. The food was quite good in quality and the head chef Paul was great. constantly checking the quality and his people. Took great pride in his food and his people. We have previously cruised mainly with Azamara. Hard not to compare the 2. I'd choose Azamara every time. We chose this cruise for the itinerary but at the end of the day it missed too many ports. Why not call it for what it is. Transatlantic repositioning cruise. Not one for the destinations. Read Less

Our first Seabourn Cruise. We were on board for 45 days, Dover to Montreal via Scotland, Iceland, Greenland, Labrador. The Viking historical highlights were the Hvalsey church in Greenland and the Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland. Sadly, the St. Kilda landing was scrubbed due to inclement weather. The scenic highlights were the fjords and glaciers of Prince Christian Sound, and the cultural highlights were Isle of Man, Reykjavik, and Nuuk (Greenland). Good itinerary, but we saw other, more nimble ships making the same calls (notably Ponant and Scenic), so there are alternatives to Seabourn. We were in cabin 826 (they call it a "suite") which is roomy with a generous balcony, but with what we consider design flaws. The TV is poorly positioned for comfortable viewing, the lighting for the table is not optimal, the closet is cramped. The twin sinks in the head are nice, but with a good shower, the bathtub is unnecessary, and uses space better allocated to the closet (the old "R" vessels have dressing room/closets which we much prefer). The vanity is well done. We were surprised that no binoculars were provided (as we had on Silversea), this on a cruise where icebergs, whales, polar bears, sea birds, and calving glaciers are spotted and watched. The common spaces are elegant and roomy. The six elevators run like a charm and one hardly ever waits for a ride, even when the crowd exits the shows or lectures. Tender shuttles, quay landings, and shore excursions were run very smoothly. The food is very elaborate, excessively so in our opinion. Lots of choices, but all of the gourmet "nouvelle" style, with rich sauces and elegantly presented. Plain dishes can be ordered from room service or at the patio restaurant, the latter being an uncomfortable place in the northern latitudes. Staff is extraordinarily attentive - room service comes very promptly, table service will see your plate whisked away as you put down your fork, your wine glass refilled while still two-thirds full. Our impression is that the obsession with delivering over-the-top service results in a somewhat tense and forced amiability on the part of the wait staff. The staff is drawn from a very diverse set of nationalities, a departure from the more cohesive crews of filipino or indonesian origin on other cruise lines, which we have found to be more relaxed and genuinely warm. The captain made daily detailed announcements about weather outlook and sailing status, and the attention to navigation and safety was very thorough. We were able to witness the bridge protocols on a port departure, and everything was conducted very carefully and by the book. Quiet competence and superb attention to safety. There is a striking schizophrenic aspect to the QUEST, originally designed for sailing warm waters and subsequently modified for high-latitude cruising: it is a deluxe ship trying to masquerade as a quasi-expedition platform. Of the 45-day cruise, no more than three of four were of shirtsleeve temperature with clear skies, yet every day the lounges around the pool were lined up with fresh towels (and thus forcing passengers to walk on a delaminating portion of the teak deck, rahter than on a safer path!). The outdoor restaurant provides infrared heatlamps and blankets for each table. The "expedition" complement of ten or twelve "zodiacs" is clearly insufficient to take more than a quarter of the passengers off at any one time. There is an extra charge of $150 per hour per person for such excursions, again not much in keeping with the expedition structure we have experienced elsewhere. A week or ten days, rather than 45 days, might have worked better for us on this Seabourn cruise. We'll likely choose to go with one of our other favorites (Regent Seven Seas, Silversea, Ponant, Windstar) on our next cruise . Read Less

We (2 couples) chose this cruise to return from a European vacation rather than fly back to the US. We knew the cruise would be very formal but as one English passenger said when I queried him about his experience on the 2nd day of the cruise, "They are quite serious". LIkes: We booked the Brittania Club, therefore we had our own private dining table for four each night with the same servers. The food was truly excellent, on par with Oceania Cruise line, which is noted for it's food. (Kudos to our servers, Brendo and Orsulah). We ended up eating breakfast, lunch and dinner in the restaurant. We only gained an average of 2 pounds per person for a 7 day cruise and we believe that is because we mostly avoided the Kings Grill, which is very chopped up, located in several separated rooms with a limited selection of food. We understand it had been upgraded in 2016 from the original design. I cant see how it could have been much worse then. Also, the brewed coffee in the restaurant is very good, unlike the machine coffee in the Kings Grill. We had dinner one night in the Verandah steakhouse restaurant for a small upcharge of $39 per person and it was the best steak we have ever had. 35 day aged beef. The Enrichment and Art seminars, Tea Time and Gala Evenings were spot on great! We didn't mind the tuxedo and formal dress evenings and enjoyed the Masquerade Ball. The planetarium and Queen's Theatre were great venues also. Dislikes: Probably because we have been spoiled by cruises on Oceania Marina, Rivera, & Insignia and Holland Statendam and Koningsdam, we didn't appreciate the QM2 as much as we should. Even with the retrofit in 2016, she looks a bit tired. Very chopped up, no flow to the design. What's with the Churchill and Chart room locations? You have to go through the Brittania Dining room to access the Queens Ball room or go through the Art Gallery up and down stairs to access. Also, the aforementioned non functional Queen's Grill area. The Library boasts 8 thousand books and a room the size of an average family dining room and each passenger is restricted to 2 books at a time with the shelves locked during night hours? That's when most insomniacs need to find a book. We found this very unusual as Oceania ships boast great libraries with a barrista next door. Their libraries are unlocked and open to all cruise passengers 24/7. Finally, what ever you do don't buy the liquor package!!! Very limited pours (50 ml) which makes no sense, as it requires the staff to service you more often. (However, once they see you have a drink sticker on your card, they avoid you like the plague, and you practically have to tackle them to get service). This occurred in every lounge but was particularly acute in the Golden Lion Pub! The wine steward in the Brittania Club restaurant also was put off by our asking for wine refills at dinner, until 3 days before the cruise ended, when he finally increased the pours, which saved him extra trips. (We were not heavy drinkers, drinking no more than 2-3 50 ml pours at dinner) or any other sitting. The package was very restrictive, nothing over $11. If you want to purchase a $20 cocktail, you have to pay $16 (purchase price less 20%), which begs the ? why purchase the liquor package? Also, our traveling companions, (one who drinks and one who cannot drink because of medical reasons), cleared with Cunard corporate that if she brought a Doctor's excuse that he could by the package but she wouldn't have to. We spent the better part of the first afternoon being shuffled between the Purser's office, the G. L Pub and were even sent to the spa, because no one could or would make a decision on allowing our friend to purchase the liquor package alone. Finally, a bartender in the G.L. Pub told us in great whisper (I am not exaggerating) that he would allow it if our non drinking friend would purchase the $30 per day beverage package (water, soft drinks and coffee). You could not purchase wine by the bottle at dinner like on Oceania or HAL only by the 50 ml glass because of the liquor package restriction. The ship was good in the water, you never really felt any motion. However, it felt as if It was designed more for sailors than passengers and the staff was not there to serve you as much as ensure that all rules and regulations would be followed and not be infringed on! Read Less

We chose this cruise only for the sailing under London Bridge which was definitely the highlight . We haven’t sailed on Silversea for a few years (as Crystal is our cruise line of choice) and remember luxuries like Perrier Juneau being the house champagne and the crew knowing your name within a couple of days aboard, the soap menu on arrival and your mini bar being stocked with your choice of spirits or liqueurs, the flurry of napkins being placed in your lap whether in the dining room or out on deck dining , cocktails being made and offered while you lay in a deck chair outside well none of that happened this time around. Embarkation was very easy with no wait time and straight on to the ship where we were greeted with a glass of bubbly and then left to our own devices. We had lunch in the Terazzo which was a buffet which was tasty but all the food in the warmer was only tepid and we had to flag a waiter to get water or a drink and again to get coffee so not a great start. After this happening for the first two days we addressed that and a few other problems with the Hotel manager then the service was definitely improved for the rest of the cruise. The food In the dinning room and the Italian restaurant was very good and good service and a table was mostly available when we decided to go for dinner. The entertainment was very average with 3 guest entertainers a violinist,a singer and a pianist, then 2 other resident pianists plus the cruise director Colin who did piano recitals so it was all rather too much of the same and far too high brow for us.The singers and dancers were good but the sets were almost non existent and the shows were very hit and miss. We are a couple in our 50’s and felt the entertainment is aimed at a senior crowd which seems to be their market. The stateroom we had was a vista suite and was very comfortable and in good condition but still had the dated bathroom with a pathetic shower and the bath drained very slow so constantly showering in about 6 inches of water, the aircon was constantly too hot and even on the coldest setting was sweltering causing quite a few sleepless nights.The Butler and our steward were very good and breakfast was delivered on time with hot coffee and the stateroom always clean. The water in the cabins and the restaurants was desalinated and you had to ask for bottled water as it was never offered and the champagne was Monopole but Pommeroy was available but you had to request that also which was very annoying obviously another cost saving measure. The ship overall was well presented but was very dull decor throughout the lounges with mute colours and no feeling of comfort or luxury ,the pool area was brown on brown with no comfortable seating like outdoor couches or cushions or sculptures or art just a few pots with small fake plants in ,the grill area had no cushions on the seats and drinks served in plastic. Overall the ship didn’t have the wow factor we have come to expect from other luxury cruise lines we travel on like Crystal or Seabourn it was good but there are lots of good cruise lines out there Like Holland America or Oceania that you don’t have to pay the premium prices we paid for this cruise. We will not be back to Silverseas again and talking to a lot of guests onboard and on cruise critic a lot of them felt the same way. Shame as this was once a very good experience! Read Less

QM2 – NY to Southampton 11th to 18th November 2018 My wife and I are in our mid-60’s and have sailed with Cunard now for 125 days or so since 2011 on all their ships. QM2 is not our favourite ship, but we took advantage of their offer this last summer to, effectively for free, include two nights at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Times Square (room only – normally c300$ per night), plus transfers from JFK to the hotel and from the hotel on the 11th to the cruise terminal. You had to book by telephone or via a travel agent and not online. I insisted on an early morning flight for Friday 9th, this meaning we would have at least 50% of Friday in NY + all-day Saturday, rather than arriving late-pm US time as most did. We booked the cheapest inside cabin for this voyage as there is not much to see from a balcony but sea, mist, waves and rain at this time of the year. How did it all go? The flight was with BA leaving at 0830hrs UK time arriving in JFK c1100hrs US eastern time. BA actually supplied a decent breakfast and service was fine and flight ok. We pre-booked our seats and checked-in online before the flight. On exiting JFK Arrivals, we were met by two very nice Cunard reps’ who greeted us by our first names. It turned out we were the first two on the day of a 100+ total, but the only Cunard passengers on that flight. As a result, they had provided a taxi just for us and we were in our hotel room by 1pm – fantastic. Cunard have a desk in the hotel foyer, manned at certain times and later in the day we were able to confirm transfer times for the Sunday to the ship. Transfer to the ship? This was 100% fine at 1100hrs on the Sunday. Luggage was collected from rooms by porterage before departure, but we had to eyeball it before boarding the coach and likewise at the cruise terminal. The Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is basically a large shed with not much to commend it, but as Platinum Cunard World Club Members we bypassed the already mounting huge queues and were onboard by 1300hrs and the large cases arrived shortly afterwards. The cabin? We had 6209, which is an Inside on Deck 6 and as it so happens is directly under the so called ‘Chef’s Galley’ at the after end of the Kings Court Buffet on Deck 7. It is a smallish cabin, albeit with the usual shower and w/c etc., large double bed and sufficient storage space. Unfortunately, during the day one could hear from time to time, food trolleys being moved overhead and at night the distant sound of vacuuming. This was not a terminal problem, but might really irritate some people. If you have a choice, do not choose any cabin anywhere on Deck 6, as Deck 7 is the main self -service buffet, Grills Restaurants + promenade/lifeboat deck are all immediately above. Food? Super meals in Britannia Restaurant (we were second dining) but the buffet was so-so for lunch. Breakfast in the same ‘served’ restaurant or the buffet was 100% fine – decent choices, but probably hotter in the ‘served’ restaurant. The only comment on the dinners is: Why cannot they simply do as any of their eight choices a meat or fish dish without it being covered in fancy sauces. Even roasted Haddock had to come with a weird coconut sprinkling over it all, making it look like a cheap pullover. Tasty it was, but bog-standard fried cod and chips would have been nice as an offering. You can get this in the Golden Lion ‘pub bar’ as one of their lunch menu items, but this was always jam-packed from c1130hrs every day. We had to pretend to be interested in ‘Killer Darts’ between 10.45hrs and 1130hrs to get a table for two for a somewhat early lunch. Afternoon Tea in the Queens Room? Nice, but join the queue early! Speakers and Entertainment? John McCarthy was the headline speaker (Beirut hostage crisis) + a variety of other speakers including a retired RN officer talking about submarine warfare in three sessions + Commodore Connell talking about ‘defence matters’ – he is/was UK Naval Attaché in Washington at the time of the voyage. In the evenings it was the usual diet of song and dance, comedians you haven’t heard of, specialist musicians (finalists but not winners in Britain’s got Talent etc.). On the last night the entire Cunard team did Broadway Rocks, which was very good. Service? Always good and friendly. The downside of the voyage. We will never have an inside cabin again unless it is a cruise with numerous ports of call – 7 days was, for us, claustrophobic. It is nice to have some natural light though a window, or door. Drinks are massively overpriced in comparison to P&O and there is a 15% auto gratuity on every one purchased. For example, the Californian Rose wine we like at dinner was a total of 41.40$ a bottle (say 4 glasses) compared to the same on P&O for a flat £17.50. Cunard are now offering a drinks package for, wait for it, 69$ per day per person when all in the same cabin. That would mean you would spend 966$ for the seven days for the two of you for a half-decent reduced selection of drinks from the menu and some of, but not all, the speciality coffees/teas and water. We did not choose that option – did anyone? Auto gratuities? I joined the long queue on the first day at reception having them removed or reduced. P&O are removing them entirely in May 2019. Champagne Bar? – rarely saw anyone in it in the evenings. A few young people onboard including one or two babies, but by far the average age of passenger must be 60+. Cunard must advertise heavily amongst the LBGT community because there was a significant and noticeable presence onboard – some going out of their way to dress and appear radically different from everyone else. Cunard have dedicated meetings for LBGT, Friends of Dorothy as well as Friends of Bill W on all their ships. This is fine by us, but might be offensive to some. On the other hand, Mrs Essex Man noticed that many of our older ladies seemed to feel that ‘glitter’ in its various forms was the in-thing this year. Evenings can be boring – you either have the bars, usually with some form of musical accompaniment, the theatre, G32 which is a small dance floor with a group or DJ who seems to like ABBA, or the Queens Court huge dance floor and seating area. This is predominantly for ballroom dancing which is not everyone’s cup of tea nowadays in-spite of Strictlys’ success. Films – poor choice and always at wrong times. Dinner in Britannia – Cunard must introduce Freedom Dining like P&O and other cruise lines ASAP. 8.30pm is too late to dine for many of us, but 6pm is also too early for some and why go to the buffet when you are paying a lot of money for proper service? We have never had a problem getting a table in Freedom Dining on P&O, particularly if one is prepared to share a table for 6 or 8. It is nice to meet other people – and you will probably never see them again on the same voyage if they are boring. In summary, the whole thing was okay, but Cunard are now living in a bygone era and having trouble filling QM2 (at least trans-Atlantic). Captain Wells (a great guy) admitted as much when he mentioned that QM2 will be trialling voyages going via Dublin, Liverpool. Iceland and Canada before arriving at NY – in other words, more of a cruise than a straight seven-day voyage A to B. And price? It was £1240 each including the cabin for 7 nights, flights, hotel and all transfers for the total of 9 days, so it was a bargain. We spent a grand total of 419$ on drinks, a photo + a reduced gratuity of 50$ each for the 7 days. To be honest though, we had more fun on MSC Magnifica in early-October for £700 each INCLUDING their standard Classic drinks package and all in a Balcony Cabin for 7 days around Northern-Europe, and we did not starve either! Read Less

Wanted a 15 day transatlantic with northern European emphasis. Never sailed Princess and probably wont be back. 2 1/2 hours to board in Southampton in a club class mini suite. Apparently mobility issues gets u on first but that was half the ship apparently. Ship was big and maximized cabin space at the expense of ship features. No where inside to escape the throngs...the Piazza reminds me of Vegas and is loud and always packed as there is nowhere else to hangout or lounge that doesnt involve eating or drinking. Overpriced tacky shops, library was a joke, cannot walk the perimeter of the ship on any lower deck, running track is on deck 18 and closed frequently due to wind and is also in the exhaust of the stacks. Elevators are slow and packed to the point we dreaded going to lower decks. Dining was hit or miss, steak house was great...most everything else average or below. Room service was always prompt but menu poor. Buffet mostly average to poor fatty high carb choices...meats dried out and self serve tongs are a health hazard. Never go to buffet at peak eating times...people are rude pushy and oblivious, no where to sit. Cabin L107 had the forward wrap around balcony and was wonderful...cabin service excellent. Disembarkation delayed and misplaced one bag...just hire a car to the airport as the bus transfer was painfully slow and people standing about blocking the unloading of bags. Overall we enjoyed the stops and room and had a good time once we learned how to avoid the throngs, bad entertainment and geriatric oriented events. Gym on this ship was remarkably good. Wont do another Princess cruise...so many better offerings. Read Less

We booked a concierge level stateroom with the O-Life package including 5 tours. Air arrangements made by Oceania got us into Montreal late in the day. The cruise was supposed to start in Montreal but due to high river levels making passage under bridges difficult, we had to be transported to second port of call in Trois Rivieres to embark. Oceania's arrangements for transfers to the ship were abysmal. We had to wait, standing around for two hours before a bus arrived to take us to the ship and no refreshments, even water, were provided in the waiting location or on the bus. The staff handling the transfer at the airport were poorly informed regarding where buses were and what arrangements would be made for dining when we arrived at the ship after the dining venues were scheduled to close. Fortunately, buffet was kept open late to handle the many late arrivals. Our stateroom bathroom was not cleaned well when we arrived -- unclean glasses and residue on shelves in stateroom. Stateroom staff was quick to remedy problems, and were generally responsive throughout the cruise after that. The stateroom was what we expected and in good condition. Bed and linens were quite comfortable. Room was quiet. Food was, in general, quite good. Comparable or better than Crystal. We found the food and service at specialty restaurants Jacques and Red Ginger to be excellent and better than specialty restaurants on Crystal, but food and service at both Polo Grill and Toscana were major disappointments. Food at Terrace buffet and Waves grill was quite good and service and quality of coffee offerings at Baristas was great. Lectures were distinctly inferior in quality and number to Crystal offerings on the cruises we have taken with that line. Exercise classes also were more limited and the exercise instructors were a clear step below Crystal exercise classes and instructors. Most tours were excellent, although the overview tour of Dublin was uninformative and generally disappointing. Read Less

A beautiful ship , with stylish public areas , always easy to find somewhere comfortable to sit and read a book . The furnishings in all locations on the ship were top class . The Scandinavian style abounds throughout the vessel ,with beautiful pieces of artwork , and a phone App that enables guests to get more information on each item . The main pool area was spacious with comfortable sun beds . Unfortunately they have a problem with the opening roof , they seem afraid to open it in case they are unable to close it . The Captain said they could not use it if there was more than 3 degrees of inclination on the ship . When closed the pool area was more like a Sauna and made everyone head to other areas. This looks like a problem on this vessel which will not go away until a significant engineering effort. The sun areas on deck again have some very nice furnished areas , you can almost feel you are on your own super yacht . In the Caribbean we had a sea swell of about 4 metres , the Viking Sky did not handle this very well . The downside was the dining experience . The Restaurant (main dining room) is a vast ordinary venue , the food on the occasions we used it was over cooked and often cold and bland .The service was basic just placing of order and delivery of food . Just a quick dining operation .It s also a very noisy environment due to low ceilings and hard furnishings . The World Cafe buffet style eatery was ok , and some dishes were freshly prepared in the open kitchen you could see into .The Sushi in the evenings was excellent . The feature restaurants again rather ordinary. The Chefs Table menu always sounded exciting but the taste was not there . We settled for having dinner in the World Cafe buffet , not what we normally do . The Dining experience is far superior , more an event , stylish with higher quality produce with excellent feature restaurants on Oceania. The Norwegian cafe Mamsems offered oatmeal or pancakes with fresh berries for a light breakfast and Scandinavian open sandwiches for lunch - very nice. The entertainment team although small were very good with singers offering a wide range of music skills . The use of high quality and stylish graphics as a backdrop to the stage in the theatre worked well and was comfortable . The enrichment lecturers (3) were very good and always available to talk to and their presentations accessible on TV in the cabin . The Viking band was excellent , especially in the night club at the end of the evening where a good atmosphere was generated , The ships officers mainly Norwegian were very friendly and very willing to engage with the passengers . Overall the most stylish cruise ship we have sailed on in more than 20 cruises . Viking will have 10 of these ships on the high seas in the next few years . Nearly 10000 guests to find each week . Unless the dining improves hard to imagine how they will attract the customers at their current prices . Would we come back onboard. . NO - the wining dining experice is important to us . We had a bad experience on arrival in San Juan. Not on any hotel lists , had to sort it out ourselves . Viking said they would investigate and get back to us , but to date (3 weeks ) no communication from their customer services . Read Less

just done transatlantic on Queen Elizabeth, first time on Cunard bought new suit and my wife bought new evening wear, we needn't have bothered people where dressed in all sorts, even saw one man go in to restaurant in jeans (not a formal night) we had afternoon tea, was poor a waiter arrived with a serving dish that only had 3 sandwich"s on it , never got offered a cake, did get a scone but when i asked for extra clothed cream he complained said no one asks for that, well i did entertainment on a night was poor, how a guy playing a vacuum machine can be top main theatre entertainment on any ship i will never know tv showed very old films most of the time would have expected better bar was soul less one gentleman said to us i didn't pay $20,000 to listen to a pub quiz every night on the plus side food was very good and so where all the staff and restaurant staff good and quick would we go again yes Read Less

Assuming that we would receive a five star experience; we booked this crossing but in reality we have experienced better food and service at chain motels.The ship is beautiful but not entirely functional. Our room butlers were superb but the rest of the staff is a horror. We lost water and heat several times during the crossing and in one case there was no heat for 15 hours. In trying to resolve the problem, it was discovered that the majority of staff has an attitude. I was put in my place by a telephone operator, told by another staff member that she had made a phone call so what else did I want. It is necessary to almost rant and rave to get problems resolved. This attitude permeates most of the staff.......spa, pursers, library, concierge. The food was ok. There was a strong start but quality declined as we got into the trip. Our servers were excellent and competent but that cannot compensate for mediocre offerings. The ship is massive and it took 7 minutes for me to walk to the library from my suite. It had to be a chore for some people forward to reach the Grill's Restaurants during the heavy weather. The Queen's Grill is long and narrow and the tables are set too close to each other, fortunately we had great neighbors or it would have been horrible. It sits on deck seven where other passengers walking by can literally stop and stare at you eating or evaluate your menu choices.It is a moderately attractive room. The brilliantly remastered Kings Court Restaurant resembles the Clara Barton rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike and after one meal there; the food is certainly better on the Turnpike. The food looks and tastes like my high school cafeteria lunches. Entertainment is standard ship board fare although several of the lectures were excellent especially the multi part talk on airline safety. You should get the message, by this point that Cunard, and the QM2 do not deliver on the promises in their advertising and they are selling a mediocre product.. Read Less

The food was great! Not the kind of food that you have to have alot of. The smell, visual and taste was enough to satisfy. There was no expensive "umbrella drink" hard sales, or casino (which was good). We were surprised that our lecture speakers were all old, white men (5 of them). Is there no woman that has something interesting to speak about to (dare I say...) a ship full of women???? My largest disappointment was that the Viking bed sheets gave me contact dematitis. The soap they use and the scratchiness of the sheets surprised me! When I asked my steward if there were other sheets on board that were less scratchy she said "no"! On day 3 (after mentioning the concern each day) I was given 2 pillows that were washed without laundry soap. This helped...but I still continued to get rashes fron the sheets themselves! I would have thought that a line (like Viking) would have soft, allergy-free linens. We thoroughly enjoyed the French cooking class (extra $) worth the experience. The wine at lunch and dinner was a nice touch, except it was all French wine...and the same taste each day. It would direct you to purchase the beverage package for "the experience" of dining/pairing. If you are just looking for wine without a pricetag...it is fine. The music offered on the ship was perfect for us (guitarist, pianist and 3 piece orchestra. Evening shows were good. Loved the movie afternoon with popcorn. For us...one of the greatest things Viking offered was the cappacino bars. What a treat! So...we had the great and the missed on this trip...our expectations being met in some areas and fell wayfully short in other areas. Read Less

We took this transatlantic cruise from Lisbon to New York for two reasons. Our first cruise 16 years ago was on the Navigator so we wanted to revisit the ship. Our previous cruise was great and led us many years of wonderful cruising. The second reason was the timing which was great for our purposes. This was an unusually early fall transatlantic leaving in October 6th. We were suprised to find the ship was old and tired and I think needs to be retired. The cruise lacked activities that we normally have on transatlantic cruises such as bridge lessons and organized bridge games. The only real plus was the guest lecturer that was great, For the most part the food was good, especially in Compass Rose. The crew tried hard and most of them, but not all, had a great attitude. The worst part was the entertainment. The production numbers were amateurish and our local high school would do a much better job. We had two guest entertainers that were ok but not great. The band played mostly jazz music which is not really suitable for dancing and did not create a good atmosphere for the evening. I am not giving up on Regent and we will book another cruise on one of their other ships. The Navigator just isn’t for us. Read Less

A brand new ship. Cost cutting everywhere, from the plastic decor and "modern" drawerless cabin (really? there's no storage!) to the half a pattypan squash and two potato balls accompanying your dinner every single night from the same menu. They put it on fancy plates and call it luxury or nouvelle cuisine, but we can't help but call it cutting corners. Flawed concepts ruin your experience, like reservation-only specialty restaurants with no main dining room that leaves hundreds of people to eat at 9:30 or eat outside, covered in blankets, eating pizza or DIY grill while crossing the Atlantic ocean in October. Either that or room service since you can't get a reservation anywhere else. Did they even talk to guests before making this catastrophic change? They did not encourage us to give feedback. Surprisingly, they asked us to leave a review here, on CruiseCritic. Service is still in training, so it's a real mixed bag. While they've taken management off other ships, many others are new to their jobs. Cruise the fjord for a few hours beginning at 9am and not offer coffee and biscuits in the observation lounge? Leave port into the sunset at 5:45 and don't serve drinks at 5:55 because it's not 6:00 yet? No lunch buffets on deck on at-sea days? No regional cuisine? Onions and peppers the only vegetables in many dishes? These examples show the complete lack of flexibility from the set rules, which give the impression of cost-cutting at every opportunity. You can't expect guests on a 2-week+ cruise, even if they do plan months ahead and get reservations, to eat from the same menu every single night and every single day, 3 meals a day. And yet, the Silver Muse tries to make you happy about it. We met others who had booked back-to-back legs and were still eating from the same exact menus a month later. Silversea says they're planning on fixing the food and restaurant issues, but until we hear that actually happen, there's no way we'd cruise this ship again. We just got an email this week that said they were planning to do the same thing on the other ships. On the positive side, the Silver Muse is stable and the basic food quality is good. But give us the old Shadow, the Wind and the Whisper any day. Even the expedition ships are a better value. But maybe Silversea is moving away from the grand days of luxury cruising now, trying to be "modern." There are plenty of low- and mid-market "modern" cruise ships that offer better value. Silversea should be careful not to lose their loyal passengers. Read Less

We chose this particular cruise for several reasons. Firstly the Excitement of travel on a new ship. The route was of special interest since we have always wanted to do a transatlantic sail. Finally visiting Ireland was a top priority It had been a number of years since we had sailed with Silversea and we wanted to try there service again. This cruise was our fourth with the company. The average rating is almost completely because of the restaurant and food service. The 8 venue dining concept sounds intriguing but does not work well. The restaurant reservation system precludes the ability to meet and dine with new friends you may make aboard. The menus are static and do not jot change. In general the food was well prepared but ordinary. Two exceptions, the up scale La Dame, for which a Preimum charge is required, was a disaster. Poorly thought out and execution was not good at all. Service was good however. The other exception was La Terraza the Italian restaurant. This was excellent. Food very well prepared and the venue on deck 7 aft was perfect. Public space is no nice but the color scheme a bit on the gray side. Cabin are large and nicely appointed. Butler service was outstanding. We had sailed earlier this year on the new Seaborne Encore and found it to be a better overall design. The vibrant Seaborne Square concept was in stark contrast to the ordinary La Dolce Vita of the Muse. Read Less

The Viking Sky is indeed a beautiful ship, tastefully decorated with wonderful art. The common areas are inviting, especially the Explorers Lounge on the 7th deck, which offers fabulous ocean vistas. The ship is spotlessly maintained. We have taken several other cruises and were excited about visiting new countries We should have had the best time ever! However, Viking dropped the ball on several fronts, First, the travel department is difficult to deal with. Be forewarned, if you use a travel agent, they will not speak to you. We finally got our itinerary resolved, and then Category 5 Hurricane Irma became a major player. We were booked on Delta to leave Miami at 12:20 pm on 9/8, and a the airport was scheduled to close that afternoon. Our connection time in Atlanta was only 1 hour. Days before, we tried to change our flight to leave earlier, but were denied, unless we wanted to pay Delta a change ticket fee of $3,000 per person. We offered to drive to Atlanta and pick up the itinerary there, but Viking did not go to bat for us. Apparently, they have no pull with Delta. Finally, we called them again on 9/6 and literally begged, and spoke with someone who was willing and able to help. We got grudging approval to begin our flight in Atlanta. The next day, we drove 20 hours to Atlanta in bumper to bumper traffic, normally an 8 1/2 hour drive, and slept at an airport hotel. We noted that our original flight out of Miami was delayed and we would have missed the connection in Atlanta. Then we flew to Norway to begin the cruise. We were exhausted. I had not really slept in 3 days and missed my tour in Bergen. Our room and bathroom were surprisingly small with no excess storage space, but again, tastefully decorated and with quality linens. The bathroom floors are heated, which was fantastic! There was a coffeemaker, but it was up too high for me to use. However, the cappuccino onboard was excellent, so we didn't mind scooting out to get it. The TV system, like most cruises, is not the best for live TV but offers a nice selection of movies. We were anxious to see news of the hurricanes. Most of the time it worked ok, but the live tv was not working the last several days of the cruise. Wifi: On previous trips, I had no problems downloading my photos from my phone to my iPad via iCloud, but the wifi was so slow that they could not download. I was surprised, given the newness of the ship. Several of my emails refused to send and I had to keep trying. Our cruise experienced a lot of rough seas, so they canceled port docking in the Shetland Islands and also one in Greenland. We already had many days at sea scheduled on this transatlantic cruise, but we can't blame Viking for bad weather. Days at sea featured lectures, some bland music, and movies, but not much in the way of interactive or physical activity if the weather did not cooperate, which it did not. It would have been nice to go to a class in the fitness center but they were not offered to my knowledge. The daily afternoon tea is in a particularly lovely venue. Lots of reading time and looking out the windows in the Explorers Lounge. We did see icebergs and a few whales, and a lot of people, myself included, got excited about a rock that initially looked like a whale. One couple went outside one afternoon and had to be rescued because the winds were so strong. The Faroe Islands and Reykjavik were fabulous and we enjoyed our tours there. It was great to be off the ship. Qaqortoq, Greenland was disappointing, as our private tour with Sagalands canceled without notice even though they had confirmed a just few days earlier. The town itself is not really worth a stop, especially if arriving early on a Sunday morning when the few establishments in town are closed. Quebec is a charming European style city for walking and touring. The food on board is very good. Dinner in the restaurant is slow, often taking 2 hours for a 3 course meal, but we had nowhere to go and not much else to do. Our primary waiter was friendly and personable. Thankfully, our friends are great conversationalists! The buffet restaurant was fresh and well presented, and was a good option when we did not want an overly long meal. Fellow passengers on the ship were generally highly educated, pleasant, and courteous. We almost missed our flight home. For a 10 am flight, our bus left at 8:15 for a 40 minute drive to the airport. We were unable to check in to our flights onboard because the internet was too slow and it timed out. We got to the check in desk, and were told that had we arrived 5 minutes later, we would have missed the cutoff for checking luggage for an international flight. Again, unnecessary stress should have totally avoidable, ending this long cruise on a questionable note. Do I recommend this cruise? Although this beautiful ship is 5 star rated and some people love endless days at sea, it was too sedate for me. The quality of the lectures was excellent, but I have had much more rollicking fun on other less expensive cruises where more varied and interactive onboard activities were offered. Even bingo, karaoke, disco, dueling pianos, a bad art auction, penny poker, flower arranging, Hawaiian theme night....none are great but something that makes you laugh! I also learned to NEVER book flights through a cruise line again. Maybe it was the weather..... Read Less

We chose this cruise because of its itinerary. We cruised from Bergen to Montreal. To start with, we had booked air through the Viking Air department, something we will never do again. We had assumed they would be more proactive on our behalf than it turned out they were prepared to be. Just days before departure we were facing Hurricane Irma, and they made no effort to fly us out early. We spent a precious 48+ hours begging to be allowed to fly out of Atlanta and drop our Miami-Atlanta segment before they finally decided that yes, they would allow us to do that. If we hadn't persevered, we would have missed connections, and missed the cruise. As it was, because they delayed so long, it took 20 hours to drive to Atlanta as many of the mandatory evacuation orders (including ours!) had already been issued, and all of South Florida were on the roads north. The ship is gorgeous, and we found the food to be outstanding as well. But for me, a cruise is all about the EXPERIENCE and here they failed miserably. While there were a few outstanding staff, most were inept, and confusion abounded. Everyone was nice, but no one seemed to work as a team. In the dining rooms, we got wrong orders, we were asked repeatedly what the order WAS, and though we bought the premium wine package, we frequently had to wait a half hour at dinner before we got any wine. (if you stayed with the included wines it was much better--you got service immediately). One night my husband had to get up and speak to the maitre d' because it had been an hour between courses. We were constantly aggravated at dinner, which is NOT how you want to be! We liked our cabin, the heated floors in the bathroom, and the availability of free laundry. And I must say our cabin steward, Ronel, was the BEST we have had in over 30+ cruises! But the cabin really lacked storage space--2 drawers and a little space in the nightstands. We asked for, and got, about 30 extra hangers and ended up hanging just about everything. Wifi was slow, but we appreciated that it was available and complimentary, so no complaints really. The Spa was gorgeous. I didn't try spa treatments. Yoga was offered but as a long-standing yoga practitioner, I didn't think it was age appropriate. There was a serious miss-match between the demographics of the passengers and the yoga routine offered. They should be offering YIN or INYNGAR yoga, and instead, the teachers' background was Ashtanga. When she started out doing a jump-back chaturanga, I knew the class was doomed. The poor ladies in the class did their valiant best, but they could have really hurt themselves with the routine we were put through. Explorers Lounge was lovely, and here, the staff was lovely as well. Skilled, pleasant--really really excellent. Lectures were excellent and a feature we really appreciated was the ability to watch them later on recorded TV. We were frequently busy at the times the lectures were 'live' but we managed to watch/listen to every one of them thanks to the recorded TV. LOVED this! Very much enriched the voyage. The shore excursions: included ones were so-so, but the optional ones that we paid for were all outstanding. Our tour guide in Quebec, Marie, on the Quebec Discovery Day was absolutely outstanding. BUT!!! The WORST feature of the entire cruise was the daily disembarkation, which was TERRIBLE. Viking really needs to learn how to get 900 people off a cruise ship. We waited almost an hour to get on the tender at L'Anse Aux Meadows, and then sat on the tender for 45 minutes before we could get off. This was the worst, but even regular disembarkations were routinely a bottleneck.. And finally, our transfer to the airport at the end of the cruise. Again, the staff showed their inexperience, to be charitable. Our bus departure was scheduled for 8am. Our flight was at 10am. And it was a 45 minute drive to the airport. We only made our flight because my husband had status on the airline, so we were able to use an expedited check in--but even at that, the agent said we were the last to be able to get our luggage on board. These kinds of repetitive 'glitches' made me think that although we had paid a 5-star price for this cruise, we did NOT receive a 5-star cruise. We have cruised well over 30 times, at various price points, and many different cruise lines, and this is the first time we felt we did not get our money's worth. There were just too many issues overall. Read Less

This was part of our bucket list, to sail on one of the Queens to England, that is basically why we cose the QM2. We had a very nice flight to LaGuardia fro6tnm Toront. We had the Black car driver from heaven for our transfer to the cruise terminal, who gave us the best tour of NYK as we inched our way along the fast route to the terminal. (My advise is to get a flat rate taxi or car). Then it turned into a nightmare. We arrived around noon and met the first line up of those who were waiting outside the doors to get into the lineups inside. We were about 30 minutes in that line, then we got inside and were directed into another line. Where we inched along for the next 2 1/2 hours. We were told by the staff that "Its never like this...everybody came at once, sorry for the delay." I know everyone was getting angry. We had five staff serving our line, plus they also were taking the priority and special needs line. The other line had about 10 serving, and you can imagine that they were moving a lot faster. This fiasco should have been handled better. There was a sitting area which could have been used as a staging area with a numbering system as is done by ther cruise lines. By the end of all this people were exhausted. We got on board at 3pm, I'm not sure I'll got on their line in future. Someone should mention to cunard that first impressions are the most meaningfuull. After that embarcation the cruise was just OK, a little over dressed, but food was good, activities OK, weather was mostly foggie, not good to go outside. Disembarkation was slow, but heck of a lot better than embarcation, don't expect to make a train reservation. As to the stateroom, it was a good size inside. The bed was comfortable, there was a nice chair for relaxing and we were given a welcome aboard bottle of sparkling wine. Lots of wardrobe room for our clothing. The room stewart was good, always made up the room while we were gone, so we seldom saw him. Ship buffet was on the prominade deck, which I thought was different from other cruise ships I've been on, but it was large with lots of seating tucked along the way. Lots of choices for breakfast, lunch or dinner there. If you don't want to join in the dressup you can have a good dinner here, mostly the same as in the main dining room. There are a lot of areas of the ship that you can spend some alone time, just to sit and read or play cards with your friends. We did participate in the trivia and went to the planetarium show, but most of the other entertainment was not our thing, others we met enjoyed the lectures. Read Less

Having spent 28-days on a back to back cruise from Lisbon to Montreal, I am reflecting on a variety of mixed feelings about the Silver Muse and Silversea, in general. I tried to focus on the positive aspects of the cruise and the gratitude I feel for being able to afford to sail on Silversea for an extended period. However, there were many aspects of this cruise that just didn't meet the standard I expect on a luxury cruise (that I have also seen reflected in other reviews and thread comments). Suite: We loved the spaciousness of our silver suite on deck 11, except for the fact that it was missing any drawers within the large closet space. With the observation lounge just down the hall and the pool deck steps away, it was a great and quiet location. We were blessed with decent weather and minimal rough seas and the ship seem to handle it very well even on deck 11. The walls are a bit thin and you can ready hear your neighbor's TV and conversations. Our butler and stewardess were great. Entertainment and enrichment: We thoroughly enjoyed the two enrichment lecturers and destination lecturer. But, this is a big fail for Silversea. Entertainment was marginal and unsophisticated whether it was in the Venetian Lounge or other parts of the ship. Enrichment in the classic sense of the word was nonexistent. We were disappointed than on the few days that the weather cooperated and we were able to use the pool deck, there was no live muse planned (or any music for that matter) to add to the atmosphere. A pub lunch (the only special event) was held one day with "entertainment" that likened what you might find in an assisted living facility. In fact, the entire program and offerings over 28 days were so substandard, boring and bland (except for maybe trivia), we wondered what Silversea was thinking (especially for a transatlantic crossing). Food: Our favorite restaurant for food and service was Atlantide. Second favorite was La Terazza. The least favorite was Indochine. We ate once in Kaiseki and found it good but not worth the $60 up charge. The overall quality of meats was mediocre. It certainly was not anything close to premium cuts served on Regent, Crystal, and Seabourn, of which I have sailed. Very fatty, chewy with lots of sinew, rarely cooked to order. The fish was tasteless and dry. Most food was served lukewarm or cold. Some presentations were very creative and appealing in Atlantide. But, with set restaurant menus in all venues, one readily tires of offerings. One could special order either to their room or one of the dining rooms with 24 hours notice. But, we tried this once (ordering Veal picatta) and received nothing resembling this dish. Unlike other passengers, we weren't really troubled by the need to make reservations for dinner venues and had no problems if we wanted to change reservations. Décor: It is always nice to sail on a new ship but I have to say that the designers really missed the mark on this one. Although I like a minimalist décor with open spaces and a touch of elegance, something was just missing. I think it is just a combination of the colors used on upholsteries, curtains, carpets, trim, plus the "awful" artwork and the cavernous space of the Dolce Vita Lounge, that just didn't suffice to create the ambience of simplicity and elegance. Service: This is another problem on the Muse. Service was so inconsistent whether it was in the dining venues, coffee shop, excursion desk, bars, etc. It just lacked a consistent standard of customer service one expects from Silversea. It was especially noticed in the dining venues when asking for "special" items such as gluten free bread or even butter, normally taking 1/2 hour or more. We waited over 1 hour one day at the pool grill during lunch time during a non-busy period. Whatever the venue, there seems to be lots of management walking around and observing but rarely, if ever, asking the customer if everything was okay. There was just a sense of confusion and chaos among the crew who, I believe, wanted to do their best but not receiving the direction or guidance needed to deliver top notch customer service. On the first night of the sailing, we found the food and beverage directing hiding in the observation lounge during peak dinner service time. That should speak volumes. Excursions: This was a mixed bag. Some were very good such as the Normandy/Omaha Beach excursions and others tours where the guide lost half of the group, or we were taken to a tourist trap store called "stop and play" with low quality kitsch for sale--such a waste of time. Internet: Silversea did not disappoint here-internet connections were excellent. Since we both still work and needed to maintain a connection to our offices, there never was a time where we experience a lost connection or difficulty connecting. Overall, Silversea really needs to get its act together on this ship in terms of the entertainment, enrichment, service and food quality. We are repeat customers so we can compare to other previous sailings. I don't know what the problem is --but it just seems to lack a "soul," as stated by another passenger. Whatever it is or isn't, we couldn't wait to disembark the ship. We also decided to cancel our January booking to South America on the Muse due to our experience. I wish I could be more positive about our 28-day adventure on the Silver Muse. Read Less

This cruise on Silver Whisper was from Southampton to Montreal. I live in the UK near Southampton so I was really looking forward to the sail away. Traditionally Silversea used to have Sailaway parties on the pool deck so I was very disappointed on boarding to see that a lot of the deck was under repair (large tent covering one side of the pool deck, under which repairs took place). There was no Sailaway party as such, instead just a gathering in the Venetian Lounge (indoor theatre with no windows). This cruise was very expensive and definitely not a repositioning cruise (well over a US$1000 per night) but the deck maintenance continued every single day of the trip and was combined with balcony sanding and varnishing, there was absolutely nothing relaxing about sitting around the pool area! There were some highlights of the trip such as a beautiful day in Greenland but the excursions were overpriced and widely varied in quality. 2 ports were cancelled, 1 ostensibly for bad weather but it was extremely difficult to see why as there was a light swell only, the other was cancelled because of the speed restriction imposed on the St Lawrence sea way. Reasonably this could have been anticipated since there have been speed restrictions for many months and the cancelled port would have given plenty of time but Silversea are impervious to criticism and the trip turned into sea day after sea day. I was doing a back to back trip which then went on to New York (a lot of people were also doing the back to back trip of 28 days) but in lieu of the cancelled port we were just taken to spend longer in Quebec. Quebec is a fascinating City but we ended up spending nearly 3 days there instead of some of the parts of Newfoundland where we should have visited. For the second part of the cruise the food and entertainment were complete repeats of the previous voyage. Nothing different at all and there was little variety even on the first cruise. La Terrazza is the buffet service for breakfast and lunch and is the most popular venue but really it is more like a canteen than a 6 star restaurant. Part way through the voyage they decided to discontinue offering a hot dessert at lunchtime and all of the deserts were sub standard. Cheese choice was good and there is a cheese menu in both restaurants. The dining room is okay but if you don't get there for the start of dinner then you wont get a decent table so it all turns into a bit of a scrum. A well dressed scrum mind you......nearly every night was 'informal' which means a jacket for men so that gets a bit wearing night after night, even when in Port. The wifi onboard is supposed to be better but honestly is dreadful, really slow and disconnects you all of the time. There is now an 'on demand' small movie selection but it is very small. Lots of problems with lack of hot water in the state room. Only 'excellent' for us was that we had a good Butler. He was the Senior Butler brought on to train other Butlers as many experienced butlers have been moved onto the larger Silversea ships. In summary, I think that Silversea are trying to grow too quickly and are not paying enough attention to their loyal guests. The prices are ever higher, the portions of food in the restaurants ever smaller, no canapés before dinner on any evening without asking for them and having had them we wouldn't bother asking again! Drink choice very limited and drink service generally slow. Entertainment very repetitive. The same shows exactly as we saw 3 years ago! The staff are generally as charming and warm as they have always been. The gym had a lot of cardio machines that were not connected to the entertainment system (broken) or other equipment that was out of use. Overall we were disappointed and will consider other cruise lines for our next trip. A shame as I have nearly 700 Venetian days so I do get a discount with Silversea! Read Less

Chose this cruise because of ports visited, seas were rough and we found out they were always rough on this cruise. We were not advised of this and we spent several days in our cabin sea sick. Not fun,big disappointment. We could not visit several ports because of rough seas. The Whisper is an older ship and frankly some areas of the ship our out dated and in need of repair. Example deck around swimming pool was under repair the whole 17 days we were aboard, A big plus was the ships staff who always were of great service. We stayed an extra day in London and had a great time at St. James. We were picked up on time and delivered to ship in a timely fashion. We did not have anything to eat until our butler asked us about lunch. No one told us about lunch being available. Thankfully our butler brought us some cold stuff,which carried us till dinner time. We stayed over in Montreal at St. James. Besides getting our room at 3 PM the hotel was good. Read Less

My husband and I have been on many cruises, but decided to try Oceania for the first time. We just returned from the Baltic cruise onboard the Marina. For the positives, the ship is very pretty, nice size and the food is good...I wouldn't say fabulous. Several of the meals in the "specialty dining" couldn't even prepare a steak to medium rare. It was either to done, or still bleeding. The best was the Red Ginger and the regular dining room. We tried this cruise because there are fewer people, but not knowing with that there is literally nothing to do. There is a show in the evening that is OK, but not up to the standards of the other lines. The casino is pathetic. They rarely had the crapps table open even during peak times, the slots never paid out, just took your money, and the blackjack tables (there were 4-5) only had the 15$ and 25$ tables open with a couple people playing....the 5$ tables were ALWAYS closed...so if you wanted to play just for fun forget it. Now for the biggy, The WiFi was something out of the 70's.. Really a company that is a multi billion a year can't do better.... worse yet is that only one device can be on at a time. When questioning the computer expert on board he had a "just the way it is" attitude. And, they charge you a fortune for a daily package. We even spoke with the main desk and his reply was curt as well, giving us some explanation like we were 3 year olds and didn't know how to use a device. Even the employee at reception told us that we needed to line up our post and wait until between 3-4AM to log back on and send them... And, if you wanted to send pics (like facebook) you should only do 2-3 at a time...REALLY! The water in our cabin NEVER got hot, only luke warm and that was after seriously running the water for 20 minutes. I called and they sent someone up to fix it, but it remained spotty following throughout the cruise. Our cabin steward Edwin was Fabulous though I have to say that. Perhaps we just had a bad start, but none the less, we will never cruise on Oceania again. My husband and I are both in our early 60's and very active and maybe we just aren't cut out for this cruise line. We were both extremely disappointed from the beginning and it just didn't get any better. The 9 countries we visited were great though. The 3 free excursions we took on Oceania were overcrowded and middle of the road. The other 6 were on Alla Tours and they were fabulous with only a max number of 8-16 depending with great guides...and much much lower in price, the buses on Oceania excursions were 35-40. We will be returning to Princess for upcoming cruises. Read Less

Food in the dining room was usually wonderful but it takes FOREVER to get through a meal. Food in the Terrace was often not hot and honestly pretty ordinary. The specialty restaurants continue to maintain their reputations for quality. One thing new in the Terrace is the way the waiters snatch your plate away.....one tried to pick up my half eaten breakfast! They're in a big hurry for some reason. Afternoon Tea is very nice. Internet is a real DOWNER. It's an issue. The entertainers (string quartet, piano bar and show group) gave it their very best....they're just not top shelf. The YMCA rendition did bring the crowd to their feet; the director begged for more than 50 people, just once, to continue up to the bar. I don't know it that happened. We went to bed! Other than that my husband's $180 pedicure (no polish) and the wine/alcohol prices were a problem for some folks. Embarkation was a breeze. Disembarkation was a HOT MESS! Read Less

We wanted to do a transatlantic crossing on a real ocean liner and the QM2 is probably the only benchmark for that kind of travel. The passengers were dominated by the average age well north of late 60's; 40% Brit 40% US. Overall, enjoyable but must agree with others who have critical comments about food/service in Britannia and Kings court. -Ship and quarters were clean/well maintained. Crew that was encountered were polite and helpful -very positive interaction. - The “only shipboard planetarium on the high seas" was marketed/hyped but was a great disappointment- it showed National Geographic videos on outer space! - Gym small and crowded - Britannia offered entrees in English style - overcooked, under seasoned with slow service in a crowded noisy venue. - Kings Court had a wide enough array and passable quality of foods to meet most desires...food is often like a New Jersey diner/local restaurant. A variety of salads, breads, desserts. As in in the Britannia dining room, some foods (e.g., beef roast, prime rib, pork roast) were British overcooked and English breakfast items were traditional -runny eggs, watery oatmeal. However, the many alternative breakfast items can make up for the blah stuff. At peak times it can be very crowded. (and watch out for the many walkers, canes and the like!) The “ice cream” available was a machine with frozen mix soft serve that tasted like what it was. - The Golden Lion “pub” had good pub food and atmosphere- but very crowded, slow service at lunch. (one day it took 10 minutes for a drink order, 15 minutes to order lunch, and another 20 minutes to be served) Internet service is very slow satellite and expensive ( 75 cents/minute-but packages- $49 up are available). It took 3-4 minutes just to update email with no outbox items/downloads/surfing. Read Less

We decided to return from Europe via the QMII since it was leaving just days after we left our Western Mediterranean Cruise and left from the port where we disembarked. The ship is impressive, very lovely. We enjoyed the lecturers and the music on board. Our cabin was well appointed. Our cabin steward was helpful and prompt as we have come to expect on other lines. Both the departure and arrival were what was expected and our transfer to the airport in NY was fine. I was unprepared for the less than excellent food. We ate at the late seating each evening. The choices were limited -- usually 2 or 3 vegetarian dishes which we are not, 1 or 2 meat entrees, 1 fish. Only once did I get fish that was not overcooked. I had a chicken dish served with what tasted like a beef based sauce. The barley soup had exactly 5 grains of barley! I had a lemon pie which totally was without lemon flavoring, and a key lime pie without the flavor of lime. Everything was bland and lacking in flavor. Our server seemed to resent being requested to bring coffee with dessert instead of after. When we went to the buffet trying to get some cheese, I could not find any cheddar and was told there was none available. I found this interesting in a British ship. The soups available for lunch in the buffet seemed to all have the same base, no flavor at all. One afternoon I was walking around the public areas and heard a harpist playing in one of the bars which was mainly empty. As I approached the bar to try to get a seat and listen, I was told I could not come in without purchasing a drink. Since I do not drink, I declined and left. Before this trip my husband and I had discussed taking one of the Cunard lines again when we go back to England, but we will look for other lines. Read Less